


Reminders

by curiousscientistkae



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Scars, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24378547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiousscientistkae/pseuds/curiousscientistkae
Summary: The Battle of Brightmoon has only recent passed. Even if it is a major win for the princesses and the Rebellion, the event still haunt Adora. She unfortunately has been left with reminders on her body of that day. Even if they bug her, she keeps her mouth shut, not wanting to worry Glimmer
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	Reminders

**Author's Note:**

> Right now I am on a high with writing and I am just gonna keep going I guess until I crash and burn again and don't write for three months again. 
> 
> Anyway, I always do like to headcanon Adora has scars from the Battle of Brightmoon. And this just came to me. Other little headcanons are sprinkled around in here also so akgjbsakjgsab enjoy

Three a.m is a strange time to be awake. Is it late at night? Or early in the morning? What creatures are roaming around in the blanket of darkness, staying unseen from anyone’s gaze. The world is hush and still, almost like everything is at peace. It seems wrong to shatter that illusion. For a moment one could savour this hour of the day, find some peace somehow if they are restless. Adora wishes she could be someone like that. 

The noise of the running faucet fills the room in a soft ambiance. Cold water in the sink below her slowly starts to rise, drowning the stained tank top. The fresh blood seeps out of the fabric, tinting the water in a red color. A dry shirt lays nearby, waiting for Adora to put it on. The warrior princess pays no attention to it at the moment, opting to stare at herself in the mirror. 

Even in the dim low light (she refuses to turn on the light and risk alerting anyone she is here), Adora can see that she still looks like utter shit. Dark bags sit under tired filled eyes, her shoulders are hunched from the weight they carry, and her freed hair is a mess even by bedhead standards. Worse of all, the wounds on the left side of her face are raw and bright. She must have picked at them when she was in some sort of sleep. 

Sighing, Adora turns off the faucet. No need to flood the bathroom. It probably would be better to throw her pajama top into the wash but she doesn’t want anyone asking questions. Once this soaks, she’ll clean it up and dry it off in her room. No one will have to know what has woken her up for the third time in the row. 

Adora pulls her hair over her shoulder. The gashes on her back sting enough already. She doesn’t need anymore pain. She has to keep reminding herself that. Adora still, however, kicks herself for not bandaging them up before going to bed. It’s a pain in the ass to do them herself but she figured they were healed enough not to rip open and bleed through her clothes. Oh how she was proven wrong. She wishes that they would just hurry up and heal so she can forget the mess from a week before. 

The Battle of Brightmoon is still fresh in her mind. The sounds of cannon and gunfire still ring in her ears. Adora swears she can still smell and taste the smoke from the castle almost burning. And, she can still feel the weight of Catra on her and her sharp claws digging into her back. Adora still cannot wrap her head around why her best friend would do something like this. Though, after all this and being left for dead in the temple, can she still call Catra that?

She doesn’t want to dwell on the thought too long. There is already enough spinning around in her head. Better to tend to her wounds. 

Adora starts with the ones on her face. They are a simple fix. She reaches down and opens the medical drawer, pulling out a set of bandages. She unwraps one of them and places it on her jaw. Now the tricky part. Not wanting to worry anyone she will have to do it herself. It does not help at all they are long and deep. 

One would think that going to healers would be the better option than washing it out and covering it with whatever she can find. But after nearly twenty years of living in the Horde where that is what they did if you got hurt and sent you on your way, it has a comforting sense to it. That, and because years of _not_ being healed by magic, her body seems to reject its attempts to heal her most of the time. 

Whatever the case, Adora gets to work. Thankfully, Glimmer gave her some large bandages to hold onto. Though, she said to tell someone when she was about to use them to help. Adora whispers an apology to the princess as she haphazardly places the dressings on her back. Coated in an antiseptic to prevent infection, they are cold to the touch. A hiss escapes her lips at the sensation, her body becomes tense. Why does her back have to be so sensitive? Taking a breath, she puts on the other, repeating the same cycle. 

Once the last bandage is on, she sighs in relief, relaxing her body. Doing the best she can, she takes a look at her back in the mirror. It’s not the best patch job, she can see bits of red sticking out at the sides and ends, but it is better than nothing. Adora is getting better at doing this by herself. Maybe that means there will be no need to ask anyone for help at all. Mostly satisfied, she reaches for her dry, stainless pajama top and carefully pulls it over her body. Now for the clean up.

Adora puts some soap on her stained piece of clothing and begins rubbing the fabric together, hoping to get the rest of her blood out of it. Rinse and repeat until the stain is near nonexistent. Least, she hopes it is. Her grey tank top has darkened from soaking in water and the lack of light doesn’t help much with seeing if the stain is gone. She will just have to hope for the best. Adora rings the water out the best she can and drains and cleans out the sink. When there are no traces of her doing left, she exits. 

She slowly makes her way to her room. Every step she takes is quiet. Stealth was never her best back at the Horde, that always was Catra’s strong suit, but she still knows how to do so. Between the bathroom and her room is Glimmer’s. The princess is a heavy sleeper but she also is a night owl. For all Adora knows, she is still awake doing something to burn off energy. The last person Adora wants to cause concern is Glimmer. 

In her short time in Brightmoon, Glimmer has become one of Adora’s closest and dearest of friends. They do practically everything now, even sleep together half the time. Not much unlike what she used to do with Catra growing up in the Horde. But the difference here is she doesn’t have to worry about saying something wrong and upsetting Glimmer or her causing some sort of trouble and dragging her into it. Sure, they have gotten into their fair share of mishaps together and her mother might not have been pleased, but everything has been taken in stride. She feels like she can be herself and tell Glimmer everything that eats away at her insides. 

But not this. Adora does not want to dump conflicting feelings on Glimmer about a complicated life long friendship. Glimmer doesn’t need the burden of trying to help her figure things out. There are better things to worry about than this. Adora can figure this out herself anyway. It can’t be that hard. 

Adora finally reaches her bedroom. She quietly shuts the door behind her. Safe in her room, she places her tank top in a good spot to dry and flops down in bed. Being on her stomach is not her favorite position to sleep in but the one she loves only causes her pain so this will have to do. Shutting her eyes, she hopes she gets some ounce of rest for once. 

When daylight begins streaming into her room, Adora is awake, eyes staring blankly at the wall. She was able to get some sleep in, least she believes. At least twice after she blinked and then looked out the window, she saw the moons in a different position. Better than having nothing at all. Yet, her body feels like it got none at all. It’s like it has become made out of lead.

Adora doesn’t move. She lies in her bed, not wanting to leave it’s comfort. The blanket wrapped around her gives her a sense of security, like nothing bad will ever happen again. But that is nothing more than a lie. Even if the Horde has gone quiet, it only will be a matter of time before they strike again. There is work to be done. No need to lower her defensives now. 

Summoning all the strength she can find within her, Adora pushes herself up off the bed. Her back doesn’t ache as much and she takes that as a good sign. Before slipping into her daytime clothes, she checks on her pajama top from before. It has fully dried overnight and thankfully, Adora doesn’t notice any blood. A sigh of relief escapes her. She really likes this top. 

She quickly checks on bandages on her back with a mirror in her room. It does not look like the wounds broke open again. Adora makes a mental note to change them later. She doesn’t really know what time it is and if it is later, Glimmer and Bow will question what is going on. One must keep their early bird appearance. There will be time later to address it. 

Once dressed, Adora heads down to the meeting hall. Glimmer is already down there, Bow nowhere in sight, eating some breakfast laid out in front of her. When the princess spots her, she smiles and waves. Adora returns the gesture before taking a seat besides her. 

“I am actually shocked that I beat you down here. You okay?” Glimmer asks.

Adora grabs some food and eats a bite before answering, “Yeah, I am. Why?”

“It just is so unlike you to not be up before _me._ And you look a little tired. _”_

"I’m fine, Glim. Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to try sleeping in for once," Adora lies. She quickly changes the topic before Glimmer can question her further. "Where is Bow?"

Glimmer sighs. She rests her head on her hand. "Said he was going to be busy the next couple days so he won't be around Brightmoon. I was hoping the three of us could do some more relaxing things before we were putting all our attention back at the Horde. Do you wanna do anything today?"

Adora thinks about the question. She has been enjoying learning different things that people do to relax. Some have taken their time to get a grasp on, like not twitching so much when meditating with Perfuma. Others have started to be her go-tos for when she needs to unwind, like anything that keeps her hands busy. 

The three have been doing more of the former. Part of it is due to Angella, wanting the three to actually have some fun for once. It has been fun, though. Spending some time with the other princesses at their kingdoms, visiting other villages, or taking a trip to Mystacor and relaxing in the springs. That last one Adora really has enjoyed. The waters might be much in the way of healing her injuries on her back but it did take some of her pain away. 

Even if she has been enjoying all that, Adora misses being more active. A thought crosses her mind and she finally says, “How about you and I spar for a bit? It has been a while since we last did that. What do you say?”

“Sounds like fun. I’m in.”

Adora and Glimmer finish their meals and head off to have fun outside. The weather is near picture perfect, not too hot, not too cold, and a cool breeze in the air. Best not to waste a day like this. As they chat away during their walk, Adora begins to feel her spirits lift. Whether she knows it or not, Glimmer always seems to know how to make her smile. With the major win of the Battle of Brightmoon, the princess has been the happiest Adora has ever seen her. She refuses to ruin Glimmer’s mood, even has her wounds start to itch. 

The two soon reach the spot they want to spar in and begin to stretch for doing anything. Adora holds back a wince when her back protests some of the movement. Once she is ready, she pulls her sword out in front of her, waiting for Glimmer to finish up.

“No turning into She-ra today. I want to spar just you,” the princess says.

“You better not do any cheap shot with your magic then,” Adora replies, smiling. “This still has to be a fair fight.”

Glimmer summons her staff and gets into a fighting stance. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Ready?”

Adora nods and they start. Glimmer is the first to move. She charges forward, her staff ready to strike Adora’s body. The warrior princess quickly blocks the attacks and pushes the other girl back. They go back and forth, their weapons creating small sparks when the metal hits together. Both try their best to knock the other off their feet, the way one “wins” in their battles. 

Glimmer starts to use some of her magic, either throwing sparkling balls of light at Adora, who deflects them all, or teleporting behind her. After training and being with Glimmer for so long, Adora has started to just _know_ when the princess is about to appear behind her. A sixth sense one might call it. Glimmer both loves and hates the fact she can do that. 

All of a sudden, Glimmer quickly switches things up. She teleports behind Adora for a brief moment and sure enough, the blonde jumps out of the way. Quickly, the princess uses her secondary power to disappear once more. Before Adora can get her footing back, Glimmer is in front of her, firing a blast at her. She is thrown backwards, landing on the hard ground on her back with a skid. 

“Ha! That is one win for me!” Glimmer shouts with glee. 

Adora doesn’t respond. She is biting her lip so hard, she swears she tastes her own blood. It feels like Catra has scratched her back all over again. Her whole back feels uncomfortably hot and every inch stings. She swears she felt them reopen when she hit the ground. Adora tells herself to let the pain roll over her, she can’t let Glimmer know. She can’t let anyone know. 

“Adora!” she hears Glimmer cry out. She is at Adora’s side in the blink of an eye. “Are you okay? Did I hit you too hard?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” Adora repeats. She can’t stop herself from groaning. Slowly, she pushes herself up on her arms. Glimmer tries to help her sit up straight but the second her gentle hand touches her back, a cry of pain escapes her. 

“What did I just do?” Glimmer pulls her hand away. “Wait, is it your back? Is it still hurting? I thought you said it healed.”

“Don’t worry about it, Glim. They are just a little sore, that’s all.” 

“You seem to be in a lot of pain for being ‘a little sore’. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”

Glimmer narrows her eyes. She wraps her fingers around Adora’s wrist and teleports them into her room. Even in the safety of the castle, Glimmer does not let go. Instead, the princess straddles the blonde, keeping her pinned in bed. Adora opens her mouth but she is quickly cut off. 

“I am not letting you go until you tell me what is going on,” Glimmer states, a stern tone in her voice, catching Adora off guard. Glimmer softens her voice. “I want to help, Adora. You’re my best friend. What’s wrong?”

There is no way Adora can fight back right now. Her back aches too much to even think about trying to throw Glimmer off and once the princess has her mind set on something, moving a mountain is an easier feat to accomplish. Adora sighs in defeat. “It’s my back. The wounds haven’t completely healed.”

“Do you want to go to one of the healers?”

“You know that isn’t going to do much for me.”

“Right. If I let go to get some medicine for you, will you not leave this bed?”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.”

Satisfied with the answer, Glimmer disappears in a puff of light, purple sparkles. Alone, Adora sits herself all the way up. The pain has started to subside, enough that she is able to get her jacket off without any issues. Getting her long sleeved shirt off is the tricky part. By the time she has half of it off, Glimmer is back with an arm full of medical supplies. 

“Do you mind if I help you?” Glimmer asks, setting everything on the table by the bed. 

“Go ahead.”

Glimmer takes a seat behind her. Carefully, the two are able to get the shirt over her head. There is an audible gasp from Glimmer as Adora clutches her clothing to her chest. “It’s bad, isn’t?” she asks. 

“You’re bleeding. When was the last time you changed these?” Glimmer asks. Adora feels the bandages slowly being peeled away from her skin. She takes a peek at them when they are tossed to the side. She notices the red blotch on the white fabric. 

“Sometime this morning. They reopened in the middle of the night.”

“Why didn’t you wake one of us to help you?”

“I didn’t want to wake anyone. It was really late. And...it’s not like I’m not used to taking care of myself when I got hurt.”

“This isn’t the Horde anymore, Adora. You don’t have to worry about getting in trouble for asking for help. And you’re not weak for that either.”

“I know…” Adora exhales. She honestly _does_ know that. But try as she might to remind herself that she is in a safe and welcoming environment, one that you are free to express yourself fully and lean on others for support, the Horde’s teachings still run deep throughout her veins. 

_Learn to handle situations by yourself, you never know when your squad might not be enough. Don’t show injuries, your enemies won’t care if you are hurt. Your mission comes first above all else_ , _do whatever it takes to complete it, even if it means giving up your life._

“I’m going to put something on them. It might sting for a moment,” Glimmer informs her. 

“Can’t be any worse than before,” Adora says darkly. 

She hears the rattle of Glimmer shaking a bottle, followed by a hiss. Adora jerks for a brief moment at the medicine being sprayed on her skin but it quickly becomes soothing. Neither speak until the fresh dressings are, properly, on Adora’s back. 

“There. You shouldn’t push yourself or spar like that again. At this rate, they might scar if they keep reopening.”

“Easier said than done.”

Adora feels Glimmer rest her head on her back, right between her wounds. A thumb gently rubs against an uninjured part of her skin. “I know that you don’t always like to open up about things and you tend to hide how you are feeling, and I am not going to force you there, but we are here for you Adora. _I’m_ here for you, no matter what. You don’t have to feel like a burden for something as simple as being a wound patched up.”

Adora smiles softly, her heart fluttering in her chest. “Thank you, Glim. Like I said, I know...It’s still just...hard.”

“Take your time, don’t rush. We always will be here waiting for you.” Glimmer pulls herself away from Adora. “Can I get a look at the other one? I know you hate your face being touched but I wanted to know if that was okay.”

Adora nods. Before they do anything, she pulls her shirt back over her body, being mindful not to mess up anything Glimmer just did on her back. Once on, she turns around to face her friend. The princess slowly reaches up to remove the wrapping on her chin. Even with the warm and soft touch of Glimmer’s hand, Adora can’t help but flinch at the side of her face behind touch. 

“Sorry,” Glimmer says. 

“It’s not your fault,” Adora reassures her. When the band-aid is gone she asks, “How does it look?”

“Better than the others. Not sure if they will scar or not. I’m going to clean it.”

Adora lets her. It is done in a fraction of the time than the ones on her back. She pretty much blinks and Glimmer is done. 

“Feeling better?” she asks. 

“Yes. Thank you. Sorry I worried you.”

“It’s okay, Adora. I’m just glad you are alright. Now that that is out of the way, how about we go do something less intensive. Maybe see if any of the villages are doing anything nice? We can figure other things out on the way.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

**Years Later**

Adora stares at herself in the mirror. A finger tugs at the collar of her dress. For the most part she doesn't mind how she looks. The dress is a gift given from another kingdom, one that she and Glimmer will be visiting today as per royal duties. It is a soft, yellow color. Along with it, a small crown rests on top of her head, matching the one Glimmer now wears, and a necklace with a one half of a moon is wrapped around her neck. Her hair flows loose and falls past her shoulders neatly. Part of her would put it up in a ponytail in typical Adora style, but as much as likes the dress given to her, there is one problem with it. 

Going to a new kingdom, both Adora and Glimmer received the gift of their regalia to wear. They of course can add their own personal touches of Brightmoon but since they will be there for a while, what better way to show respect by wearing what they are accustomed to? But the dress is backless. That might not bother most people but it does to Adora. She put her hair down to hide her scars but it only does so much. People still will notice them. People still might ask about them. 

Even though years have passed since the Battle of Brightmoon and Catra has by and large proven herself to be on a better path and both have made amends and moved on with their lives as staying friends, that day still haunts her. The now pale and dull scars are a reminder of everything they went through and of the war as a whole. The small set on Adora’s chin she has grown accustomed to, it bothers her once in a while, but it helps she has plenty of other smaller scars littering her body from long, drawn out battles. The ones of her back are different, however. Catra truly wanted to injure her then and since she is not always aware of them, since they are not always facing her right back in the mirror, being reminded of them is like getting severe whiplash. 

Adora has done her best to keep them hidden away, to keep the memory from digging itself up from where she has buried it. She started to wear pajama tops that ensured nothing poked out from the top, preferred wearing dresses similar to that she wore at the princess ball and Glimmer’s coronation, and when swimming, managed to find something that didn’t expose her back. Hell, she has done her best to keep her anxiety in check as some days, for whatever reason, triggers one or more of her scars itch. They definitely are doing that right now. If she is lucky, sometimes they don’t bother her. Today is not her day, however…

She starts to play with the necklace, running the half moon up and down it’s chain. It would be rude to not wear this, right? It was a gift after all and she is going to a new kingdom, one with different customs and thoughts. Adora might not be a queen by blood, but she eventually will be by marriage. That still means she has to uphold a bigger degree of respect, right?

Adora really wishes she could wear something else.

There is a knock, startling the young woman. Her body relaxes when she hears her fiancee’s voice slip through the cracks between the doors. 

“Can I come in, Starlight?”

“Yeah. You’re good,” Adora replies. 

The doors open up and the Queen of Brightmoon enters. She is dressed in a similar garb as Adora. The only difference is her dress is a shade of lilac, complementing her future wife, a sparkling cape flows behind her, and a slightly more regal looking crown sits on her head. Glimmer herself wears a half moon necklace. No matter what she wears, though, it always takes Adora’s breath away. 

“Why do you always look at me like this is the first time you’ve ever seen me in a nice dress?” Glimmer asks when she walks up to Adora. 

“Because you look so beautiful each time, how can I not, Glitter-bug?” 

“Gods, you are _such_ a dork.”

“You love me,” Adora says with a tease. 

“Always.” Glimmer stands up on the tips of her toes and places a kiss on Adora’s lips. Adora wraps her arms around the smaller woman, keeping her body close to hers, and doesn’t pull away for a long moment. When they do, the two place their foreheads together. 

“Are you ready? We still have some time before we have to leave but I know you like being ready hours before hand.”

“Yeah...Yeah I am…”

“That did not sound too confident.” Glimmer pulls away to get a better look at Adora. “Is something the matter, love? Are you nervous about being around a lot of people or meeting the kings?”

“No, no. It’s not that. I have you around to help me with that.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Adora turns her gaze away from Glimmer, taking a couple steps away. “I...The dress. I like it, it’s really nice, but it shows my back.”

“Oh? Oh! Adora, why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Adora shrugs. She is now holding herself. “I didn’t think that it would bother me this much. I didn’t want to be rude to the kings either.”

Glimmer closes the gap between them. She places a hand on Adora’s arm and slowly rubs it up and down. “You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’m sure if you tell them it makes you uncomfortable, they wouldn’t mind you not wearing it.”

“I know. It's not just that, Glim.”

“Then what?”

Adora thinks for a moment. Is this a stupid thing to talk about? That something that occurred years prior and has been doing her best to either forget or accept, still hurts like when it happened? No. Glimmer isn’t like that. Adora has asked her worse things when still trying to figure out the world outside of the Fright Zone and she has never been ridiculed by the queen for it. She’s always been patient with Adora. This is no different. 

“They just remind me of what happened. Thinking of them reminds me of the Battle of Brightmoon, which reminds me of what Catra used to be, which reminds me of my time at the Horde, and also reminds me of the war and everything else that we went through. It’s a lot and I hate that one little thing makes such a big deal in my mind.”

“Hey, look at me,” Glimmer says. Adora does as she is told. When she locks eyes, the queen continues. “It’s okay. There is nothing wrong with that. We all have things that might remind us of a time we wish to forget. You know that.”

“Still sucks. It has been so long I thought I’d be over it by now.”

“Healing takes time. But forcing yourself to do this won’t help at all if it is upsetting you this much. And you know what?”

Adora raises an eyebrow. “What?”

Glimmer surprises her by suddenly going behind her to kiss the scars on her back. She then quickly gives a peck on the ones on Adora’s face. “You still look amazing no matter what.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the dork,” Adora chuckles. 

“You can’t hog it all! Now, why don’t we find you something you’ll be comfortable in? We can explain everything when we get there and I am sure we can work something out.”

“Thank you, hon. Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Everyday.”


End file.
